


I'm sorry, again

by razberrie_raindrops



Series: goodbyes [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Great Ninja War, I hope, M/M, One Shot, Reanimated!Iruka, Seals Master!Iruka, angsty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-03
Updated: 2017-08-03
Packaged: 2018-12-10 20:25:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11699271
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/razberrie_raindrops/pseuds/razberrie_raindrops
Summary: Wherein Iruka is reanimated, and guess who has to fight him.





	I'm sorry, again

**Author's Note:**

> More angst! This is the second part of a series, but you don't have to read the first for this to make sense. The only thing you need to know is that Iruka died the boulder death of Obito. (I know, I'm sorry).

I'm sorry Kakashi.

Iruka didn't want to die originally, but the more he thought about it, the more he accepted it. A life for a life. 

He really didn't want to pain Kakashi like that again. Kakashi had told him, a while back, in detail, the events of that day. Even in death, Iruka was concerned about Kakashi, and how he died the same way as Obito. To anyone, that would be extremely painful. But to Kakashi, it must've been hell. It was odd to see that man so… not him. He usually acted so high and mighty, cracking bad jokes and reading Icha Icha. To see him so vulnerable and emotional was definitely something new. He loved Kakashi with all his heart, and it hurt so much to see him like that. He wanted to do nothing but hug Kakashi and Naruto and tell him that he was alright. It was too late now, he thought. Besides, he'd much rather prefer those to live on than him.

I'm finally going to see my parents.  
•••••  
Iruka did not think the first thing he would see, would be a forest, and certainly did not think he would be jumping from branch to branch behind other shinobi.

Iruka cursed internally. The only reasonable answer was that he was reanimated. This was something he didn't really consider since he believed chuunin aren't exactly reanimation material. And they aren't. Iruka was barely surprised he wasn't sealed. But it's not like Naruto and Kaka-

He paused. Odds are that he would run into Kakashi, and end up fighting him.  
That's right. I'm his enemy now.  
Iruka cursed.

“I-Iruka-sensei?” said a voice from beside him.

He looked to his right to see a young Konoha shinobi. He reminds me of…

“Imake?” Iruka gasped. It hurt to realize that his former student had died. He knew death for a shinobi was a very normal thing, especially during war, but he was so young. Just because it was normal didn't mean he had to like it.

“Where am I, I mean, are, we going? I'm pretty sure I died already. Also, why can't I control my body?” Imake asked, hoping his all-knowing sensei knew.

Iruka sighed. “Imake. We are both dead and have been reanimated. When you're reanimated, you usually aren't just given free reign of your body. I honestly did not expect this to occur and have no idea where we're going. I do know though, that we are going to have to fight some of our comrades.” Iruka said. Kakashi and Naruto flashed before his eyes. 

Imake looked down, eyes reflecting sadness. It was clear he didn't want to face his comrades again, and even less, fight them. And neither did Iruka.  
•••••  
“Captain Kakashi! There are more reanimations coming fro-”

The shinobi was cut off by an explosion that covered the battlefield with clouds of dust everywhere. Kakashi put his arms up in defense and held his ground.  
As the clouds of dust cleared, he caught a glimpse of tan skin. 

No, that couldn't be. How could he be…

Standing before Kakashi, was Umino Iruka indeed, his eyes apologetic, but his body was ready to kill.

Kakashi started to sweat. Iruka was a reanimation, meaning he had no control over his bodily functions. And that it would probably come down to him sealing Iruka.  
Damn. He should've done that in the first place. Now he had to pay, by killing-  
Kakashi shook his head. Focus on the mission. He recited internally. And succeed.

“Kakashi.”  
“Iruka.”

Iruka flew at him, hands flying. He spewed out a fountain of water, which swirled into a dragon and seemed to cut through the air. The dragon surged toward Kakashi, only to be dispelled by a mud wall. Iruka had escaped when Kakashi looked behind the wall, chased by other ninja. Iruka reminded Kakashi of a cat, leaping around carefully, and swiftly dodging thrown kunai and shuriken.  
Kakashi pushed up his hi-ate to reveal the Sharingan, curious as to why Iruka wasn’t fighting back. Any sane person would, and Iruka was one of the most normal human being he had ever met.

It suddenly dawned on him, but before he could act, chakra infused wire, that had been meticulously placed around a group of shinobi, lit up. Seals appeared on the floor beneath them. The ring glowed, and a beam of light disintegrated the shinobi. 

Shit. Kakashi grit his teeth. If he could do that, then he certainly could just do it to the entire company. And probably will. 

Iruka slapped seals onto shinobi whenever they ran at him without them realizing, and one hand sign later that shinobi was either burnt, chakra depleted, suffocated, electrocuted, stabbed, or somehow drowned.

Iruka was undeniably no average teacher.

The fight continued for a while. Kakashi had sparred with Iruka before, but didn't know he could be so difficult to defeat. Kakashi vaguely wondered why he hadn’t tried for jounin. He easily could’ve made jounin, and be an elite. He caught glances of other Konoha shinobi, who were clearly shocked that the well-known Academy sensei could easily take down several hundred ninjas. It reminded him of the time where he was concerned that Iruka might not be able to defend himself. He now knew he definitely could. A wave of guilt flooded through him. It’s not like that’ll be of any use now.

Kakashi ran towards Iruka, who was still jumping around. He leaped, kunai to kunai with a scarred face. The one that he loved so.

“Iruka.” Kakashi’s face softened.

“I'm sorry, Kakashi,” Iruka said. “You’d better hurry.”

Iruka’s other arm yanked on a wire.  
Shit!

The wire trailed about a hundred meters to their right, and exploded, setting off a trail of screams.  
The two leapt apart. Kakashi glanced down at his arm to see a seal reading “lightning”. He had to end this quickly, otherwise he would be burnt to a crisp.

He filled his palm with chakra, and ran towards his lover. For some reason, Iruka had stopped moving. 

Iruka smiled at him.

Kakashi hesitated just before his chest.That smile. The one that comforted him when he came home from a mission. The one that made him smile. The smile had healed and helped. The one he loved. And missed.

But before he could go back, Iruka walked forward, to meet his chest with Kakashi’s palm.

“Ka-kashi…”

Rin’s words and face flickered in front of him. His name echoed endlessly, the voices of his dead comrades calling out to him.  
Kakashi’s eyes widened.  
The chakra around his hand fizzled out as he drew his hand back. Iruka’s eyes closed as he fell backward, his chest left with a gaping hole. 

Kakashi's hand was shaking, the one that was forever stained with blood. It had only been stained with more.  
Before he knew it, Iruka was sealed and gone.

•••••

Why… why…

I’m sorry, Obito. I couldn't keep my promise.

Kakashi had let another of his friends die.

I'm sorry Rin.

Kakashi had killed another friend.

He hadn't learned anything. He had done all he could to learn from his mistakes, to prevent any of those incidents repeating. But he really didn't. He hadn't changed. Iruka had only proved it.

I'm sorry, Iruka.


End file.
